NOFO: Supporting Public Interest Journalism in Rwanda’s Digital Space

It will promote government accountability, responsible journalism, and greater freedom of expression in Rwanda.

This proposal aims to build on the successful aspects of the 2021 project while leveraging a growing exception to this difficult financial dynamic: YouTube and related digital spaces. Learning from the 2021 project, monetization of content via YouTube is a path to sustainability. Increasingly, journalists and content creators are producing genuinely independent reporting on issues of public interest via YouTube that both finds an audience and generates sufficient income to be sustainable.

Program Objectives

• The overall objective of this project is to catalyze more quality, responsible, and ethical public interest journalism that is financially sustainable. It will promote an environment where journalists freely express themselves on YouTube and related digital spaces, and engage in responsible content creation.
• The program must operate in no less than five and no more than 10 of Rwanda’s 30 districts. Applicants should indicate which districts they would select and why.
• The program will have the following objectives:
  • Objective 1: Strengthen the capacity of journalists to produce compelling, responsible, public interest journalism in non-traditional and financially sustainable formats such as YouTube and other digital platforms.
  • Objective 2: Provide sustained content production and marketing/business development support.
  • Objective 3: Increase the volume of quality investigative reporting in the public interest by providing small grants to support investigative journalism on YouTube or other financially sustainable formats.
  • Objective 4: Build a community of practice of quality digital journalists with similar training and backgrounds that could be the basis for follow on “branding” and online network development.

Funding Information

• Award amounts: Up to $300,000
• Number of awards anticipated: 1 Award
• Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less.

Participants and Audiences

• This grant opportunity is open to non-governmental organizations. Participants and audiences will include the public, civil society organizations, and political candidates.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nongovernmental organizations that are registered with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) are eligible to apply.
• In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.

Ineligible

• The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:
  • Programs relating to partisan political activity;
  • For-profit organizations or companies;
  • Individuals;
  • Charitable or development activities;
  • Commercial or trade activities;
  • Construction programs;
  • Programs that support specific religious activities;
  • Fund-raising campaigns;
  • Lobbying for specific legislation or programs;
  • Scientific research;
  • Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization;
  • Professional development for individuals; or
  • Programs that duplicate existing programs.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.